


ramen ichiraku

by evmugo



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Character Study, Child Neglect, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Families of Choice, Fix-It of Sorts, Food as a Metaphor for Love, Gen, Huh that's a tag neat, Ichiraku Ramen (Naruto), Konohagakure | Hidden Leaf Village, Platonic Relationships
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-27
Updated: 2020-07-04
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:15:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,662
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24945988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/evmugo/pseuds/evmugo
Summary: Naruto thinks that he might not mind being named after a fish cake after all..Formerly titled "it takes a village". Name change to reflect the new direction of the story because I suck at sticking to my draft(s).
Relationships: Ayame & Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura & Uchiha Sasuke & Uzumaki Naruto, Teuchi & Uzumaki Naruto
Comments: 8
Kudos: 58





	1. shio ramen

Teuchi is taking out the trash when Uzumaki Naruto exits the convenience store across the street, carrying a clear plastic bag full with nothing but cup ramen.

_The nine-tailed fox demon._

To be honest, the young boy isn't what he expected. Or what _anyone_ expected. Before Hiruzen passed the law forbidding it, people used to gossip about him all the time. They whispered about how the nine-tailed fox has taken over the body of an orphaned baby, how it has warped and twisted baby Naruto until he was no longer recognizably human: a half-boy-half-fox monstrosity. After all, why else would Hiruzen be hiding him away like this? Rumors spread about the boy having an elongated nose and a malformed tail, about his skin being covered in a thin layer of copper fur, about eyes as red as blood and sharp teeth and claws meant to kill.

But young Uzumaki Naruto looks normal, especially by shinobi standards. His teeth and nails are duller than any Inuzuka. His eyes are big and round and a clear blue — far less sinister than either the Uchiha's black-and-red pinwheels or the Hyuga's milky violet. Naruto doesn't have a tail or copper fur either — in fact, his spiky blonde hair is more reminiscent of the Fourth Hokage than of the demon fox that killed him. The only clue that Naruto Uzumaki _isn't_ just a normal kid are the whisker-marks on his cheeks: an imprint from the demon fox inside him, so the rumor goes, but next to the Aburame Clan who _literally_ buzz with their internal hives, it is barely anything to bat an eye at.

There is no visible indication of what Naruto actually is or what the demon fox contained inside of him has done. By all accounts, he's just a normal, if somewhat overactive kid. Which, actually just makes everyone else all the more resentful and fearful of Naruto — after all, if he can hide a demon inside of him so well, what else might he be capable of?

But Teuchi can't bring himself to muster up any feelings of resentment or fear. Not as he watches the boy, only six years old, trudging down the empty street with his plastic bag of cup ramen.

_What is he doing out all alone?_

And then:

_Is he always alone?_

For a moment, Teuchi feels a sharp twist of something melancholy in his gut that compels him to call after Naruto. He does know what he wants to say, but he doesn't get a chance.

"Tou-san!" Ayame calls from behind the counter, "I'm done balancing the register!"

"Yeah," Teuchi spares one final glance down the street. "Leave it open, I'll double check it."

.

The next week brings Naruto back to the convenience store, emerging with nothing but instant noodles _again_.

It's late and the only ones still hanging around are Iruka and his childhood best friend, Mizuki, both of whom are shinobi and some of his favorite regulars. Teuchi has known them both since they were Naruto's age, so he trusts them enough to ask:

"What's Naruto doing buying cup ramen all alone? Who's looking after him anyways?"

Iruka startles. "Well…"

"The Hokage is," Mizuki interrupts. His lips curl into a grimace. "Though pretty much only in name."

 _"Hey,"_ Iruka hisses, "watch what you say."

"What? It's true," Mizuki snorts, waving one hand dismissively. "Hokage-sama is a busy, _important_ man. You can't expect him to spend his days babysitting _Naruto_. He enrolled the little creep into the Academy a couple days ago. Now he just hands Naruto a wad of bills every couple of weeks and lets him fend for himself."

"Mizuki, don't be like that."

"Yeah, whatever. Can't blame Hokage-sama though. I'd do the same."

Teuchi frowns. Mizuki's attitude towards the boy is pretty common, especially among civilians and civilian-born shinobi; most don't tend to differentiate between the demon fox and its host. And knowing how much Mizuki cares about Iruka, it's unsurprising that he holds a strong grudge. "Still, isn't Naruto a bit too young to be left alone like this?"

"Ah, Ono-san. You really are too kind." The silver-haired shinobi's face twists into a sardonic smile. "What do you expect from shinobi? Those purebred clan babies were probably given shuriken instead of teddy bears. Just be glad that Hokage-sama didn't throw the little demon to the ANBU. Which, come to think of it, might've been a better since he's —"

Iruka slams his chopsticks down with enough force that the sound causes Ayame (who up until then, had been doing a very good job pretending that she was washing the dishes) to jump. His eyebrows are screwed together and his jaw is clenched tight.

"Remember where we are." 

Ayame takes this as her cue to disappear out the back door, muttering something about replacing the dishrags. Smart girl.

"I know, I know. Just stating my opinion darling, no need to get all wired up," Mizuki pulls out his wallet and sets an excessive amount of cash on the counter. "Thanks for the meal, Ono-san, it was delicious as always! But Iruka and I should really get going. Early morning at the Academy tomorrow, you know how it is."

"Of course," he placates, taking the payment without protest. 

Iruka is still fuming, but he lets himself get pulled up from his seat by his friend. "Sorry, Teuchi-san. Can I get a container for my leftovers?"

"Of course," Teuchi repeats. He spares Iruka a warm smile. 

"Thanks."

The two leave and Ichiraku is empty. There are still technically thirty minutes before closing, but Teuchi pulls in the store signs anyways. It's just one of those nights.

"Are they gone, 'tou-san?" Ayame peers in from the doorway.

"Yeah," Teuchi says, "and you, young lady, didn't hear anything."

"No idea what you're even talking about, 'tou-san." Ayame answers innocently, smiling her bright customer-service smile. 

"That's my girl."

Teuchi doesn't trust that smile one bit.

.

Ayame keeps up the innocent act until they're back upstairs in their little 2LDK. 

"Okay, just tell me if I'm right. You can't talk about why everyone hates Naruto in front of kids right? None of the adults can. It's one of those forbidden topics, like Orochimaru and the ANBU, right? Is that why Iruka got so mad? Cause Mizuki was about to say something forbidden in front of me?"

Teuchi sighs. 

He doesn't know what he expected. Ayame has been hanging around Ichiraku eavesdropping and chatting with their customers ever since she was six years old. She's only (already?) eleven, but knows much more than any civilian has any right to. 

_"Ayame."_

"Did Naruto do something bad? Cause to me, he just seems like a lonely little kid." Ayame purses her lips thoughtfully. "Do you think cup noodles are all he eats? That's no good."

"No, _he_ didn't do anything bad. It's complicated, alright? Drop it and go take a bath."

"Fine." A pause. Then: "Otou-san?"

Teuchi sighs again. "Yeah?"

"If what Mizuki said is true and Naruto is all alone now and everyone hates him even though he didn't do anything bad…" she pauses to take a breath, "I think it's a little sad."

Teuchi balks at this. It seems ludicrous, foolish even, to pity the nine-tailed fox. It's the demon who terrorized the village, who claimed the lives of innocent civilians and valiant shinobi alike. It's getting what it deserves.

But _Naruto_ isn't the demon fox. Not really. So does _he_ deserve this? 

"Yeah," Teuchi says after a moment. "It is, isn't it?"

.

"That'll be seven hundred yen." 

Naruto doesn't quite meet the cashier's eyes. He doesn't really want to see the nasty look that he knows she's giving him.

He used to cry and throw tantrums about it. When other kids cry and throw tantrums, grown-ups look annoyed but they still try to comfort them. Sometimes strangers will offer to buy the kid candy and everything, even if it was the kid who did something wrong in the first place.

Nobody's comforted _Naruto_ though. Mostly, they just ignored him, which was actually better than the alternative, in which they glared at him and whispered nastily to each other. 

Sandaime-ji doesn't count either. He just tells Naruto that throwing tantrums is not very shinobi-like and stands there looking all disappointed. He doesn't hug Naruto or bribe him with candy or tell him that everything will be okay. So Naruto doesn't try anymore. He hastily forks over the money and mutters a quick thank you before exiting the convenience store.

Naruto doesn't know why everyone hates him. He always does everything right and proper - saying please and thank you, remembering honorifics, not chewing his nails or picking his nose in public - just like Sandaime-ji has taught him. 

Naruto tells himself that he doesn't care. When he graduates from the Academy, he'll be the greatest shinobi of all time and everyone's gonna see that they were wrong and feel really bad. And when they beg and plead to be _his_ friend, Naruto is gonna give them that _look_ . See how _they_ like _that-_

"You like ramen a lot, huh?"

Naruto startles. A girl stands in front of him, blocking his path. She looks to be ten or twelve years old, dressed in civilian clothes with soft brown eyes and brown hair tied back into two low pigtails.

"H-huh? Me?"

"Yeah, duh." Gesturing at his shopping bag, she smiles. _At him._ Wiping her hands on the black apron around her waist, the girl nods to the warm glow of _Ramen Ichiraku_ across the street. "But eating that prepackaged stuff isn't good for you. Dad says so all the time — and he knows what he's talking about, he owns that ramen place, you see. You should stop by sometime!"

"I...I should?" Naruto goes wide-eyed. 

Is this some kind of trick? He's never even been inside a grocery store without receiving dirty looks from the cashiers, let alone a _restaurant_ (unless he's with the Third that is, but that doesn't count) and now he's being _invited_ by a pretty girl who's _smiling at him?_

Is she even real? Sandaime-ji has told him all about genjutsu. Naruto doesn't _think_ that this is genjutsu. But he's never experienced it before so he could be wrong. 

"Yeah! Dad makes all the noodles from scratch and everything!" The girl beams proudly. "Oh, my name is Ono Ayame by the way. Just Ayame is fine."

"Is… is it expensive?" Naruto glances over her shoulder warily.

"Not really. I mean, it's more expensive than _that_ —" Ayame waves a hand at the cup noodles in his bag, looking mildly disgusted, "— but deluxe tonkotsu ramen is only twelve hundred yen. That's our most expensive item. And shio ramen is only seven hundred!"

"Oh!" Naruto feels relieved. Seven hundred yen isn't bad. "Okay!"

He follows Ayame across the street and into the warm glow of Ramen Ichiraku. An older man stands with his back to them behind the counter, washing something in the sink. He has a severe face, eyes narrowed with concentration and square jaw clenched tight.

"Welcome!" He shouts, "I'll just be two seconds — oh. You brought him."

Naruto shrinks a little behind Ayame, bracing himself to be kicked out. He knew that it was too good to be true.

"Yup, just like you said! Naruto-kun, this is my dad!"

"Name's Ono Teuchi, nice to meet you, boy. Take a seat, what're you waiting for? Are the stools too high?" 

The man has a stern face, but then he smiles (at Naruto!) and the laugh lines deepen around his eyes and his weather-worn cheeks dimple. He suddenly looks much kinder. More like his daughter. 

"Well? You need a step-stool?"

"No, it's fine!" Naruto climbs onto the high stool. He's a shinobi in training after all.

Ayame ties her hair back with a navy-blue bandana and passes him a menu. "Cold water or hot tea, Naruto-kun?"

"Cold water, please," Naruto says. Looking down at the menu, and his sight goes fuzzy with all the words and pictures. He doesn't want to make Ono-san wait, but he can't decide; there's too many choices and the words are starting to jump around the page. Naruto's palm goes all sweaty. He has to _hurryhurryhurry_. His eyes instinctively zero in on the cheapest thing on the menu. "I'll h-have the...the, um… bean, beansproutspleasethankyou!"

 _I don't want the beansprouts_ , Naruto thinks miserably, immediately regretting his choice. Oh well. Sandaime-ji always tells him that he needs to eat more vegetables. Plus, it's only twenty yen.

"Naruto-kun, that's a _topping_ ," Ayame giggles, "I brought you here to eat noodles, not _beansprouts._ "

Teuchi grunts. "That's right. And don't worry about the prices, boy. First bowl is free. That's the rule here."

"Is that _so_ , 'tou-san?"

"It is," Teuchi flicks Ayame's forehead. "Go make yourself useful and chop some garlic and green onions."

 _"Yessir,"_ She sighs dramatically, "take your time deciding, alright Naruto-kun? No rush!"

"Free?" Naruto's eyes go as wide as saucers. He glances back down at the menu. The picture of the...deluxe tonkotsu (at least that's what he thinks that's what it says. It's twelve hundred yen, like Ayame said and it's surrounded by lots of exclamation marks) does look really yummy, but… Naruto doesn't want them to think that he's greedy or anything. The lady at the combini always sighs really loudly if Naruto so much as _looks_ in the direction of the free samples. He'd hate it if Ayame sighed at him like that, so he settles on the cheapest bowl. It still looks good: beansprouts, a couple bamboo shoots, an egg on top of noodles in clear broth. "Then the...um. This one, please, Ono-san."

Naruto points, a bit embarrassed. He hopes that Teuchi can't tell that Naruto can't read most of the kanji on the menu.

Teuchi makes a small huffing noise. "Shio ramen? That's all you want?"

Naruto nods timidly.

"Alright. Fine. I can work with that." 

.

What Naruto ends up getting looks _nothing_ like the picture in the menu. 

The bowl is piled high with toppings: large pieces of chashu and a mountain golden corn, with several pieces of bok choy and mushrooms to the side. Perched on top of it all is a perfectly cooked egg and several thin slices of something white with a pink spiral in the center.

(For what it's worth, there isn't a single beansprout. Naruto flushes with embarrassment. He wonders if Teuchi did that on purpose.)

"That's _kamaboko_." Ayame explains, when she sees what Naruto is staring at. "You know what this particular kind is called?"

Naruto shakes his head. 

"Narutomaki!" She exclaims, smiling brightly. "Like you!"

Naruto stares some more. Narutomaki? Is she making fun of him? It doesn't seem like it… but wouldn't that mean that his parents named him after a type of _fish cake?_ Naruto doesn't know how to feel about _that ._

"What're you waiting for, kid? Dig in!"

"Yessir! I mean, _itadakimasu_!" 

It is the best meal that he's ever had. 

The chashu is tender and the corn is the perfect balance of buttery and salty. The noodles are more chewy and thicker than those in cup ramen. He tries some of the broth and finds it refreshing rather than heavy, and not too salty either. Even the bok choy and mushrooms are delicious. Naruto hesitates before taking a small nibble of the narutomaki - but that is _also_ good, all chewy and umami and he can't keep the smile off his face. 

Naruto thinks that he might not mind being named after a fish cake after all.

"Delicious, right?" Ayame chirps, "dad's cooking is the best!"

Naruto nods vigorously. His mouth is full of chashu and Sandaime-ji always says not to speak with his mouth full. 

"Glad you like it." Teuchi laughs. "Say, do you know how to cook, kid?"

Naruto swallows. "No, I don't."

"Thought so. What time does school end for you tomorrow?"

"Fifteen-hundred."

"Hm, alright." Teuchi nods thoughtfully. "Come here after class. I'll teach you."

"You… you will?"

"Can't have you eating that prepackaged stuff all the time, now can we?" Teuchi eyes Naruto's bag of ramen with the same mildly-horrified expression that Ayame did. Naruto nudges the offending bag under the counter a bit more with his foot.

Naruto looks to Ayame in disbelief. She shoots him a wink and an encouraging thumbs up. "T-thank you so much, Ono-san!"

"Yeah, yeah. Now finish your food, kid, it's getting pretty late."

(For the record, Teuchi doesn't let him pay a single yen, and Naruto goes home feeling warm for the first time in months.)

.

Naruto starts coming around to Ichiraku's nearly every single day, but he’s like a skittish alleycat: always showing up when there are no other customers, and always disappearing moments before a customer walks in. Usually Naruto returns after closing, muttering some excuse about forgetting to lock his apartment door or having homework to catch up on. Teuchi doesn't mind — it’s probably for the best that the customers don’t know that Teuchi’s been teaching Naruto; they’ll probably kick up a fuss. Instead, they end the night by taking an inventory of all the ingredients while Ayame chatters excitedly about the differences between various sauces and spices. She doesn't mind that everything seems to fly in one ear and out the other; they both know that the boy just needs the company.

Besides, Teuchi has figured out early on that Naruto is one of those kids that have a hard time learning by just standing there and listening to him explain things - the words don't stick and he gets really fidgety after more than five minutes. Ayame was the same way when she was younger. 

"In cooking, you learn by doing, not watching," Teuchi says, cutting himself off when he sees Naruto's leg start to twitch. He gestures to the rice cooker that he was explaining how to use. "Here, how about I give you instructions as we go?"

And they make it work.

Naruto is a slow learner and extremely clumsy, but he makes up for it with enthusiasm and determination. Besides, thanks to his fast reflexes, Naruto can also usually catch the things he knocks over before they break, which is a big improvement from Ayame’s first days in the kitchen — it’s not a very big space and she kept knocking over their glass cups.

The one complaint Teuchi has is the way that Naruto reacts when he does something wrong. Really, you'd think that the world was ending from the face that the kid makes every time. It’s baffling.

"I am _so_ sorry!" The kid looks absolutely devastated, staring at the spilt broth all over the floor. His arms are a bright red and he's shaking, but more from _fear_ than from pain. "I'll clean it up right-"

"Oh no you don't!" Ayame lifts him up by the armpits and marches Naruto over to the sink. "Arms under cold water for twenty minutes. We'll check on it after."

"It doesn't hurt! I heal fast!" Naruto insists, squirming a little. "All shinobi do, 'cause chakra-"

"Chakra or no chakra, you're _six years old_ and you spilled hot soup all over yourself. What were you _thinking_ , carrying that all by yourself?" Ayame scolds, sounding awfully like her mother. She glares at her dad. "Did 'tou-san tell you to?"

"No! No, I… I thought that I could help." Naruto's eyes are wide and panic-stricken. "Please, I didn't do it on purpose and won't happen again, so please…"

And then Teuchi understands.

(Naruto's been rejected all his life. He's never been given a chance, let alone a second one.)

"It'll take more than a few mistakes for me to want to kick you out, kid." Teuchi ruffles his hair. "As long as you’re okay and you’ve learned something — have you?"

The big blinks slowly. "I shouldn't carry so much hot soup by myself..?"

"That's right, kid," Teuchi nods. "Now, you stay there. I'll go get the mop."

Naruto's arm actually does end up healing freakishly quickly, but Ayame makes him stay at the sink for the full twenty minutes anyways and sends him home with cooling cream to use before bed. 

Things go smoother after that. Naruto eases up now that he feels more secure, and Teuchi realizes just how nervous and tightly strung the boy had been this entire time. A couple weeks later, Teuchi sets up Naruto with his own cutting board, a small step stool for reaching high shelves, and the small kitchen knife with a hand guard that Ayame used when she was first starting out.

"Copy whatever Ayame's doing. If you don't get something, don't be afraid to ask," Teuchi says, "she likes the sound of her voice too much and is a big show off, so she'll be more than happy to explain whatever it is as many times as you want."

 _"Otou-san,"_ Ayame whines, but doesn't complain when Naruto does start to follow her around. Of course she doesn't, how could she? Naruto is like an adorable little puppy with his fluffy hair and big blue eyes. In fact, Ayame is over the moon — she's always wanted a younger sibling. She insists on him calling her _Ayame-nee_ and has taken to preparing him character bentos for lunch. Naruto particularly liked the one that she made in the likeness of the Third Hokage. 

Teuchi would be worried about the boy getting spoiled rotten if he didn't think that Naruto really _needs_ the pampering. 

"This is what we call an oblique cut —" Ayame is demonstrating with her carrot, exaggerating her movements so that Naruto can follow along. "We're putting it in curry so don't worry about everything being all neat and perfect — hide your fingers=tips like this — there, now you won't cut yourself. And when you feel more comfortable, you can go faster— "

Ayame demonstrates, finishing the carrot off in two seconds, looking immensely pleased by Naruto's glowing, awestruck expression. Teuchi wasn't lying about Ayame being a chatterbox and a show-off — at least now she's using it for good instead of for annoying the living hell out of her long-suffering father.

"Wow! That's so cool, Ayame-nee!"

"I know," she says, smug.

"Don't try to do that yet," Teuchi warns, "Ayame gets too cocky — nearly cut her fingers off many times before. She never listened to me when I said to start slow, so I hope you do, kid."

"It was only _one_ time, 'tou-san!" Ayame huffs, lying through her teeth. Her hands are scarred enough to be evidence to the contrary. 

Still, she slows down a little, if only to be a good example for Naruto's sake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the manga, Naruto acting out always broke my heart because it's pretty much textbook behavior for neglected children. He didn't care if the attention that he got was negative, because a) that's pretty much the only type of attention he got around Konoha anyways and b) that at least this way, he is in control of WHY everyone hates him. 
> 
> So when I remembered that Teuchi and Ayame at Ichiraku were actually decent to him, I seized the chance to give him a less-terrible childhood. And also better eating habits. 
> 
> Teuchi and Ayame didn't have one in canon so I've given then the surname "Ono" here after the famous Japanese sushi chef Jiro Ono. I think it fits.
> 
> Next chapter: Naruto makes a friend. Not by beating them up though. Apparently that's not the only way he can make friends, contrary to what canon will have you believe.


	2. Onigiri

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto is going to have a neighbor and he's not sure how to feel about it.

Naruto is going to have a _neighbor_ and he's not sure how to feel about it. 

The shinobi complex is a two story building with ten nearly identical 1LDK apartments on each floor, connected by an open walkway. Sandaime-ji let him pick which one he wanted — though, what Naruto really wanted was to keep staying at the Hokage compound. Since that wasn't an option, he chose the one on the second floor at the very end of the row with two extra windows, and a balcony that faces the Hokage monument.

Almost an entire year has passed since then, and Naruto has been the only permanent resident the entire time. Occasionally, visiting shinobi will get roomed there, though none for more than a month. 

But his new neighbor seems to be staying long-term: the ANBU have been moving in boxes all morning. And that is another thing — the ANBU! Moving gigs are D rank missions assigned to genin teams, _not_ to the Hokage's elite Black OPs.

The Hokage tells him that the new resident is _in a sensitive condition_ and that Naruto should _leave the boy alone_. He says this as if whoever it is would want anything to do with Naruto in the first place.

"So it's a boy then!" Naruto exclaims triumphantly. Ha. Take that, everyone who's ever said that he is a bad listener. Naruto is the _greatest._ "Is he a shinobi too? Is he an orphan too? Is he from Konoha? Do you think he's loud because the walls are really thin you know — you can hear _everything_ from the room next door and even through the floor. That one time Suna-nin stayed on the first floor I could hear them make fun of the Hokage monument for being _tacky_ and I got real angry- _ttebayo_ , they were so _rude_ so I ran a real hot bath and used up all the hot water and —"

"Naruto," Sandaime-ji looks at him from over a mountain of paperwork. _Yeesh_ , he would hate to be doing _that._ "If this was all that you wanted to talk about, go home. Review history. And stop skipping class. Nana-sensei has told me about your poor performance and attendance."

"Ughhhh."

Naruto _hates_ history lessons. The teacher just talks and talks and talks, reading listing dates and names and places. Naruto gets all jittery from sitting still for so long and his eyes always start to hurt from trying to focus on the teeny-tiny print on the textbook. Besides, he thinks that Nana-sensei might just hate him right back. She always calls on Naruto for the hard questions and sighs really dramatically when he answers wrong. It's _so_ embarrassing.

"Naruto."

"Fine."

Naruto gets his textbook and goes to Ichiraku's — he figures that he can hide in the storage room and study when customers start coming in.

There aren't that many chores to do, so while Teuchi-ji manages the storefront, Ayame-nee shows him how to cut daikon flowers in the back. It's so cool. She's so cool.

"It's faster to just use a mandoline," Teuchi-ji says when he sees what they're doing. "Ayame just likes wasting time."

"And 'tou-san doesn't like anything fun." She shoots back, handing the finished flower to Naruto. He grins and eats it whole.

"What's this?" Teuchi gestures to his textbook on the counter. He leaves through the pages, frowning.

Naruto scrunched his nose. "It's for school. History. It's dumb and boring, _dattebayo._ " 

"Hm," the ramen chef looks thoughtful. "This is written with a lot of kanji."

"Gross," Ayame-nee makes a face. "I was always so bad at learning kanji."

Really? But you're good at everything, Ayame-nee!" 

The older girl squeals and pulls Naruto into a suffocating hug. He can't really breathe and it feels like his ribs are going to crack, but still. It's nice. He hugs back. "Aw, Nacchan!"

"Well, I'm not very good with words myself, but tell you what, kid." Teuchi-ji shuts the book. "Circle the characters you don't know and show them to me after closing. We can match them up with hiragana together."

Naruto's eyes go wide. "Really? I don't want to —"

"It's no bother, kid. Besides, Ayame needs the review too, since she isn't in school anymore."

"I don't see why, not like I'll use it," Ayame-nee huffs, finally letting Naruto go. "I'm gonna be a ramen chef, not a _librarian_."

"I don't want my own daughter to become illiterate," Teuchi-ji says, giving her a stern look. "Well, Naruto?"

"Yes please! Thank you so much, Teuchi-ji!"

"Ah, don't thank me yet, you shinobi use a lot of fancy words that I don't know. Not sure how much I can help." Teuchi-ji ruffles Naruto's hair. He only started doing that recently and it makes Naruto feel all smiley and warm even though he pretends to not like it. "Ayame, show him the proper way of making radish flowers. Using the mandoline."

"Otou-san has no appreciation for _traditional artistry_." Ayame-nee sighs dramatically, but reaches for the mandoline anyways.

.

It turns out that this is going to be a super weird week because the next day, all Academy classes are suspended until further notice. None of the teachers would say why.

"Does it have something to do with why none of the legacy kids are here?" A girl — Tenten? — asks. "Did something happen with the clans?"

Naruto looks around and realizes that she's right. The only kids and parents standing here around the Academy gates are civilian-born. He hadn't noticed before, but now the absence of clan crests stands out like a sore thumb. In fact, Tenten seemed to be the first person who _did_ notice, because as soon as she speaks, a tense murmur rises up among the crowd.

"Go home, everyone," the instructor says loudly talking over the commotion, "we will send notice to your households when the Academy reopens." 

.

Naruto plans to do as he is told. Really. He doesn't need an excuse _not_ to be at the Academy. The problem is, he _can't_ go home. 

"Sorry, Uzumaki-san." An ANBU wearing a rabbit mask stops him a block away from his apartment. She has long purple hair that makes Naruto wonder what the point of wearing a mask even is. Not many people have purple hair, so doesn't that make her easy to identify anyways? Or is the hair fake too? "You must find somewhere else to be for the next hour."

"What, why?" Naruto demands, but he doesn't know why he bothers because she just disappears. Typical ANBU. He tries to go home several more times, but is always blocked (by the same purple-haired kunoichi — see, easily identified) so he gives up and goes to the training ground.

Which is empty. Strange. Naruto checks all of them, but there isn't a single shinobi in sight at any of them. 

It doesn't make any sense. Sure, legacy kids don't usually use the training grounds but even the civilian-born kids aren't around. The training grounds should be packed, especially since classes have been cancelled.

Naruto tries to practice his kata for a while, but finds that he can't concentrate. There's a strange tingling feeling that has been slowly travelling down his spine all day. Something is wrong, but he doesn't know _what_.

.

It is late afternoon and there are only two customers at Ichiraku's — both of whom in standard issue chunin flak jackets. They look familiar; one has chin-length silver hair and the other has a spiky black ponytail and a pale scar across his face. Naruto hesitates, standing across the street.

Even though Teuchi-ji says that it's okay for him to show up whenever, Naruto doesn't want to cause them any trouble. He's not stupid, he knows that a lot of civilians and shinobi hate him. Wouldn't it be bad for business then if Naruto was always hanging around? What if they all stop coming, just because of Naruto? It's possible — sometimes when he gets to the training grounds, the other kids all leave. And sometimes when he's walking to school, people cross the street just to avoid him. Or leave the convenience store when he walks in. Naruto is used to it so it doesn't hurt all that much anymore (he tells himself), but he doesn't want that for Ramen Ichiraku. 

He'll come back after the dinner rush. 

"Nacchan!" Ayame-nee shouts, "what're you doing? Get over here!"

"Ayame, lower your voice." Teuchi chides gently. He waves Naruto over, eyebrows furrowed together in concern. 

"You should stay over tonight," Ayame-nee declares, "it's not right for you to be all alone right now. Tou-san doesn't mind, right?"

The chunin with silver hair lets out a sharp bark of laughter. Naruto flinches.

"We have an extra futon," Teuchi-ji says grudgingly by way of agreement. The silver-haired shinobi makes another noise. His companion with the scar elbows him and hisses something into his ear.

"Ayame-nee? Teuchi-ji?" Naruto laughs nervously. He tries to ignore two shinobi. "What's wrong? Did something happen?"

They turn to him with identical stunned expressions.

"Naruto," Teuchi-ji says slowly, "you don't know?"

.

Naruto runs home as fast as he can, carrying two hastily packed bentos instead of one. He doesn't stop until he's standing in front of his neighbor's door. 

Eventually, the rabbit-masked ANBU as before appears behind him. "What are you doing, Uzumaki-san?"

"Oh good, it's you again." Naruto holds out one of the two bentos before he loses his nerve. "Teuchi-ji from Ramen Ichiraku made this. Um. Can you give it to, _you know_. He can eat it. If he wants. Or not. But can you give it to him?"

"Why?"

"I —" Naruto fidgets. "I know about. Um. _What happened. And_ I wanted to, I dunno. Check that he's eating properly. Warm food. The container is heat insulating so —"

They stand there for a long, silent moment. Finally, the ANBU nods, accepting the bento. "I will."

Naruto exhales. "Thanks!"

The next morning, Naruto finds the bento box empty and clean on his balcony.

.

It becomes a habit. Sometimes Naruto brings an extra bento from Ichiraku. More often, he brings an extra serving from his own dinner.

Sometimes the ANBU woman will show up as soon as his door opens. Other times, if she doesn't, Naruto leaves the bento on his neighbor's balcony, and knocks quietly on the glass before slipping away. The bento box is always returned empty and clean to his balcony the next morning.

Sometimes Naruto hears muffled crying coming from the room next door. He isn't snooping, honest — the walls are just really thin. Naruto doesn't know what to do- he wants to go over there and say...say something, but he doesn't know if the boy would want that. Naruto wouldn't want a stranger to see him cry. So he never does anything.

But one night, Naruto wakes up to the sound of screaming. 

He grabs a kunai before throwing open the door and comes face to face with three ANBU — one of whom is the purple-haired kunoichi.

"What happened?" 

The other two masked shinobi ignore him, but the kunoichi answers. "A nightmare. No threat. Go back to bed, Uzumaki-san."

"Oh," Naruto says, "is. Is he okay?"

"Yes. There was no threat," she repeats.

"That's not what I..." Naruto sighs. Typical ANBU. "Nevermind."

She nods, and the three ANBU body-flicker away, leaving Naruto alone in the corridor, a cold draft causing goosebumps to rise on his arm. He tries to do as she says, and crawls back into bed but...the walls are paper thin and Naruto can hear the sound of muffled crying coming from next door.

 _He's all alone._

Something terrible churns in Naruto's stomach as he squeezes his eyes shut. Naruto can't imagine what it must be like, to have gone through what _he_ went through but… but Naruto knows what it's like to wake up from a nightmare at least, scared and crying and all _alone_. He knows what it's like to have ANBU appear at his door, to stare up at those cold porcelain masks and reach out for a warm hand, only to be turned away. 

Naruto crawls up to the wall and knocks gently.

"Hi." Well. Naruto didn't really think this through. "Sorry, I hope I didn't surprise you. Um. My name's Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto. I'm your neighbor. I've been leaving you dinner?"

No reply, but the sounds of crying seem to have gotten closer. 

"I live alone. Been here for about...almost thirteen months? The water pressure isn't great at night but if you are a morning shower person it's bearable. And the walls are really thin — you probably realize that now, huh? I've been trying to be quieter since you're next door, but if you ever hear me yelling about something on tuesday mornings it's at that ginger cat that comes by and gets all up in the garbage can. Dunno if she's a stray or something but she tears up the bags and makes a huge mess. I've been thinking about setting out food for her, yenno? But then I feel like if I do that, I've somehow lost and I really don't like losing. Especially if it's to that darn cat."

He pauses and inwardly curses himself. Naruto is supposed to be _comforting_ his neighbor, not talking his ear off about that darn cat. 

"Sorry, I'm rambling, aren't I? Um. I just...I heard you scream and I thought. I mean. I don't like to be alone after a nightmare, so… so I wondered if you wanted some company. I know I'm just a stranger, and probably not someone you want to talk to. I can shut up. Um. Knock once if you want me to shut up. Twice if you want me to keep talking, how's that?"

Naruto listens. Silence. Did the boy leave the room? Then:

A knock.

But doesn't come from the wall. It comes from his _balcony_. Naruto cautiously pushes apart the curtains. 

.

Sasuke Uchiha looks like a ghost: skin almost translucent, in stark contrast eyes which are black as pitch. It's hard to tell that he was crying, but when he shifts his stance, the moonlight causes the tears pooling in his eyes to glisten. For a moment, they just stare at each other through the glass. Then, Naruto unlocks the door and slowly slides it open.

"Hi," he says.

Sasuke opens his mouth, but nothing comes out.

"Come in. I'll make you some tea." Naruto says, softer.

Sasuke sniffs. He opens his mouth to speak again, but again, no words come out. Naruto can see his breath.

"It's cold outside." He takes one of Sasuke's hands. He's surprised to find it more calloused than his own. "Come in."

Tears are falling freely now — Sasuke's shoulders shake as he lets out whimpering, choked sobs. "Where's okaa-san?"

"Oh, hey…" Naruto hesitantly wipes at Sasuke's tears with his free hand. 

That seems to be the last straw. Sasuke stumbles forward and buries his face in Naruto's shoulder, clinging to him as if his life depended on it. Caught off guard, Naruto stumbles a bit, and falls backwards with the black-haired boy on top of him.

_("-entire clan massacred…")_

Naruto feels his shirt grow damp and warm with tears and snot. Slowly, he wraps his arms around the other boy. 

_("...found passed out among corpses, they thought that he'd been killed too…" Mizuki - the silver-haired chunin - shakes his head, eyes flickering briefly to Naruto. "A terrible tragedy. I hope they catch the one who did it.")_

"I w-want o...okaa-san back," Sasuke sobs, "where is she? Why...why wouldn't she wake up? _Where is she?_ I gotta help her —"

_("Poor boy, he's all alone now, I can't imagine-")_

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry." Naruto whispers. He's not sure what else he can do.

"I want...I w-w-want okaa-san… _ple-please…_ don't…don't leave me…"

"I know," Naruto says, feeling an awful ache in his chest. He hugs Sasuke tighter "I know. I won't leave. I promise. I won't leave you alone. I won't."

.

Eventually, Sasuke cries himself to sleep.

Naruto gently carries him onto the futon, tucking him in with a warm duvet. He then changes out of the tear-and-snot soaked shirt and goes to close the balcony door.

"Is Uchiha-san okay?" The ANBU woman with the rabbit mask asks — has she been there the entire time? 

"No," he hisses quietly, "what's _wrong_ with you all? _Of course_ Sasuke isn't okay. After — after everything he went through he just got dumped here all _alone_ and...and how could he _possibly_ be okay?"

It's one thing for Naruto to live alone like this — he's an unwanted orphan hated by pretty much everyone. He's been alone all his life. He gets it. He's used to it. But Sasuke? Sasuke is an _Uchiha_. He was part of one of the biggest, most tight-knit clans in all of Konoha. He had parents who loved him, cousin's to play with and a brother—

_("Sasuke wanted to be just like Itachi. And Itachi...he was a good guy. How could this have happened?" Iruka shakes his head, eyes shut with grief. "What was he thinking?")_

Naruto swallows the lump in his throat, something heavy and painful filling up his lungs. 

The kunoichi bows her head. "I deeply apologize."

"Really? Do you _actually_ care?" The words come out before he can stop himself.

"Yes." Her voice is surprisingly gentle, having lost all of its cool formality. "I… was the one who found him. I am sorry that I could not do more." 

Naruto glances over his shoulder. Sasuke sound asleep.

"Me too," Naruto says finally. He bows slightly to the purple-haired kunoichi and slides the glass door shut.

.

The next morning as he is taking out the trash, Naruto leaves out a small plate of chicken scraps beside the garbage can. 

The ginger cat watches him from the fence with big golden eyes. 

"For you," Naruto says, "don't go flipping over the garbage can, alright? Sasuke is still sleeping."

The cat meows. It looks insufferably triumphant.

"Oh shut up, don't think you've won," he grouches.

The cat meows again, and jumps down from the fence. It does a figure eight between Naruto's legs, purring slightly. 

"Now you're just rubbing it in, you darn thing. Just eat your chicken, alright?"

.

"Oh, darn. I'm too late for dinner, aren't I?"

"Yes, I'm sorry..." Teuchi finishes stacking up the last of the stools. "Oh, it's you. No, it's fine, come on in."

He can hear Ayame yelp from the back room. She sprints out, eyes wide with excitement… only to deflate immediately. "Oh. It's just Iruka-san."

The corner of his lip twitches. "Ouch."

"Sorry, I just thought you were someone else." She smiles sheepishly. "Always good to see you, Iruka-san. Where's Mizuki-san?"

"Mm, he's busy." Iruka's mouth presses into a thin line, but he doesn't elaborate. Teuchi's heart sinks a little. Ever since they found out about Naruto, Mizuki hasn't come back. It's been two months already. "And Naruto? He's who you're waiting for, right?"

The young man's reaction to Naruto becoming a permanent fixture of Ichiraku had been surprisingly measured — unlike Mizuki. Iruka may not be completely comfortable around the boy, but he does not (openly, at least) hate to be in Naruto's presence either.

"It's been a week!" Ayame pouts. "I know that Nacchan is busy but…"

"Busy?" The chunin raises an eyebrow. "Academy classes are suspended for the time being."

"He's been making meals for that Sasuke boy." Teuchi explains, feeling more proud than he's willing to let show. "Hasn't been coming around as much because of it."

"Oh," Iruka blinks slowly. "That's very….kind of him."

"He's a very kind boy," Teuchi confirms, feeling irrationally defensive. "Naruto doesn't want Sasuke to be alone right now."

"So Nacchan is taking care of him by by feeding him!" Ayame nudges her father. "Learned from the best."

Teuchi coughs, forcing down a smile. "Hm."

"Oh, that's…" The young shinobi trails of, lost in thought. "That's good. I think… I think that Sasuke will appreciate it a lot."

Ah, that's right. 

Iruka probably understands what Sasuke is going through better than most. And, on a much deeper level, Iruka probably understands what _Naruto_ went through better than anyone.

"You came for dinner right?" Ayame interrupts. She must sense Iruka's grim mood, because she dials the brightness of her smile up to maximum intensity. "We're closed now, but you can join us upstairs! Otou-san always makes too much, just in case Nacchan stops by."

"Oh, I…" Iruka begins to politely decline, but stops when Ayame's smile falls into a practiced pout. She's adorable. And sneaky. Teuchi isn't sure who she takes after but it certainly isn't himself _or_ his late wife.

"Aw, come on Iruka-san! It's no trouble at all! Otou-san."

Teuchi nods. He knows better than to argue with his daughter when she has her mind set on something. She's at that scary age. "Of course. You know that you're always welcome here, Iruka."

"So it's settled." Ayame grabs Iruka's sleeve and starts dragging him up the stairs. "We're having curry and chicken katsu! You'll love it, 'tou-san is trying out this new frying method that makes the panko extra crispy…"

While closing up, he can still hear her chattering endlessly - the insulation doing nothing to dull the infectious sunniness of her tone. At one point, he hears Iruka laugh.

Teuchi smiles. Well, Ayame is right about one thing. Naruto does indeed learn from the best.

.

"Your cooking tastes like okaa-san's."

Naruto almost knocks over a bottle of soy sauce. "Oh! Really?"

"Mhm," Sasuke nods, he holds up an onigiri. "These are good."

"Thanks! That makes me really happy- _ttebayo_." 

"Mhm."

"What type of filling do you like best?"

"Tuna mayo."

"Okay! We'll make that next time, together! I'll show you how! It's really easy."

"M'kay."

It's been two weeks since the nightmare incident and even though Sasuke's been coming around more, usually Naruto is the one doing all the talking — about dumb things, funny things, harmless things — he tries to avoid topics that he thinks might make Sasuke sad. 

Naruto has also started to leave his balcony door unlocked and an extra futon folded by his own. It's a safety hazard, but Naruto trusts that Murasagi-san — that's what he calls the purple-haired ANBU — is watching them. He's figured out that she's in charge of the graveyard shift, and has started leaving snacks for her before bed.

"What is this?" She asks, gesturing to the plate of small onigiri.

"Onigiri, duh," Naruto answers, "it's spicy cod roe. For you."

"Why?"

"Cause you're here. Why not?" Naruto shrugs, shoving the plate into her hands. "Do you like spicy food?"

Murasagi-san nods. 

"Good. Sasuke can't handle spice— I can tell that he can't, even if he pretends otherwise — but I like spicy food and making fillings in small batches is a huge pain so..." He suddenly stops, remembering something. "Oh! Wait here, just one sec…"

He grabs his history textbook and flips to a dog-eared page. Although classes at the academy have started up again, Naruto has skipped more days than he's shown up for. It just doesn't feel right to go while Sasuke is still stuck under house arrest.

"Can you tell me what these words are? I know that this isn't part of your job but -"

"That says _Uzushiokagure._ Also known as _Chōju no Sato._ "

"U-zu-shi-o. Chōju no Sato." Naruto repeats under his breath, rummaging around for a pen to scribble down the hiragana. "Thanks!"

Murasagi-san cocks her head to one side, as if studying him. "Of course, Uzumaki-san. Thank you for the food."

Naruto likes Murasagi-san, she's nice. Most ANBU aren't. When the cat-mask guy is on duty, for example, Sasuke isn't even allowed to come over to Naruto's apartment. 

"They think my br...they think _that man_ is going to come back." Sasuke tells him through the wall. "That's why I haven't been allowed to leave. They think that he's going to come back and kill me too."

"Sandaime-ji won't let that happen." Naruto replies immediately.

"The Hokage couldn't stop him before." Sasuke's voice sounds extra harsh. He gets like this sometimes — Naruto can picture it: his face will go all dark and angry and nothing he says can make Sasuke snap out of it. 

"They'll catch him," Naruto tries.

"..." Sasuke mumbles something.

"What did you say?"

A long moment of silence passes. Naruto can hear the sound of his refrigerator humming.

"I hope they don't." Sasuke says, his voice a low whisper.

"Why?" Naruto whispers back.

"Because _I_ want to. I want to be the one to find and kill him."

"Oh, that…" What Sasuke says _feels_ wrong but… "I get it. That makes sense."

"Hn."

After a while, Sasuke moves away from the wall mumbling something about needing to practice his kata. Naruto sits there for a little longer, until his rice cooker clicks off.

Lost in thought, he heads to the kitchen and starts to mindlessly make more onigiri. They're going to have extra again.

.

"Murasagi-san, can I ask you a question?"

"Yes, Uzumaki-san," Uzuki Yūgao reaches her hand out for a book, or a piece of paper. She is accustomed to responding to that nickname now. She's also used to Naruto's questions — usually about how a word is pronounced or what an idiom means. They are always accompanied by a small snack (today's is dango) that can be eaten on the go. It is very considerate of him.

Yūgao knows that none of this is according to procedure. Her job is to monitor Uchiha Sasuke. Not humor the kyuubi's host next door. But Sasuke is always at Naruto's apartment these days, so she decides that it's fine. 

"Oh!" Naruto's eyes widen. They are such a pretty blue, as clear and bright as a cloudless summer sky. "Um, it's a different kind of question this time. About your job."

"...what is your question?" Alarm bells ring in her head, and a heavy unease settles in her gut. What is she _doing?_ She cannot answer questions about the ANBU. 

Yūgao has dismantled the corpses of her comrades until nothing remains so that their bodies reveal no secrets. She has practiced interrogation techniques and has had them practiced on her. She has an explosive capsule embedded on the roof of her mouth — if she ever gets captured, all she has to do is curl her tongue and press upwards. Yūgao resists her instinct to reach for her sword with great difficulty. _It is okay. It is just Naruto. There is no need for that._

But if he asks a question that raises suspicion, Yūgao will be forced to subdue him and bring him to Sandaime Hokage-sama immediately. She doesn't want to do that and Naruto wouldn't like that one bit.

"What-" Naruto hesitates, picking at a scab on his hand. "Um. What's it like to kill someone?"

Oh. She relaxes. His question is not really about the ANBU at all — furthermore, she knows exactly _why_ he is asking. 

Yūgao recalls the scene of the massacre perfectly: how many bodies there were, the positions they were found in, the autopsy reports. It was a clean, quick job — textbook perfect execution, fitting of the ANBU prodigy. The only anomaly was the single, faint heartbeat that could be heard from one of the interior rooms. 

Sandaime Hokage-sama does not believe that Itachi will return. Still — until Itachi is located, the Konoha Council has insisted on having Sasuke under ANBU guard: to protect the Sharingan.

Personally, Yūgao is inclined to agree with Sandaime Hokage-sama. Itachi was the best of their division — they have never known him to leave a job unfinished, so Sasuke being left alive was likely not an accident. 

But Yūgao's personal opinion is irrelevant.

"Um... Murasagi-san?"

She blinks a bit, remembering Naruto's question.

The sight of death is not something that has bothered Yūgao since she was six. Yūgao is used to death and killing. She is used to the screaming and crying and begging of enemy nin as she drives screws beneath their nails. But all the ANBU training in the world cannot rid her of the chill that runs down her spine when she remembers the way that the little Uchiha had screamed when he awoke.

"It depends on the method and circumstances of the execution." She says carefully. "But the first time is always difficult."

"And then you get used to it?" Naruto looks put off when she nods. He picks at the scab some more. "That's...kind of messed up. I dunno if I'd want to get used to killing."

 _You have to, or you'd go mad. Itachi-senpai never got used to it_ — _and_ _look at what became of him._

"Then don't become an ANBU." Yūgao says. "Is that all, Uzumaki-san?"

"Yes," Naruto smiles at her sincerely. Everything about him is sincere. He certainly would not make a very good ANBU. That thought is comforting. "Thank you, Murasagi-san."

Even though he cannot see her face, Yūgao smiles back. "Certainly. And don't pick your scab, Uzumaki-san. You'll leave a scar."

(The next day, Yūgao is taken off Uchiha Sasuke's guard and is immediately sent on a three month mission to Wave. It is probably for the best — Yūgao thinks that she may have been going soft.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do you ever sometimes just think about how cute and bubbly lil Sasuke was before his life went to shit and how after the massacre he was probably left all alone to deal with his grief and trauma? And how Naruto probably didn't get hugged very much as a kid? Because I sure do, so where's Hiruzen I just needa talk.  
> Uzuki Yūgao canonically was the one to find Sasuke after the Uchiha Massacre. Naruto's nickname for her, Murasagi, combines Murasaki (purple) with Usagi (rabbit). Not very creative but hey, his toad-shaped wallet is called Gama-chan so.  
> Next chapter: hopefully less sad because we're going back to Ichiraku!


End file.
